UU Donphan

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Water Drone

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donphan.gif


QC Checks: Bouffalant / Meru / Calloflochie

GP Checks: fleurdyleurse / frenzyplant

Overview
########

With its solid bulk and good Attack stat, Donphan can work as a great Rapid Spin user on any team. With a useful ability in Sturdy, access to Knock Off, and priority in the form of Ice Shard, Donphan is an exceptional offensively based spinner. It has several flaws that hinder its success, however. With no form of reliable recovery, Donphan struggles to spin away hazards more than once a battle. Along with this, it also faces competition from the likes of Mega Blastoise and Forretress. Lastly, it cannot take special hits very well, due to its poor Special Defense stat.

Rapid Spin
########
name: Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Stealth Rock / Ice Shard
ability: Sturdy
item: Leftovers / Assault Vest
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Rapid Spin is the main reason to use Donphan, providing a way to remove entry hazards for the team. Earthquake is a reliable, powerful STAB move, granting Donphan the ability to beat Fire-, Steel-, and Electric-type Pokemon with ease. Knock Off is used to nail Ghost-types trying to spinblock. Stealth Rock is to support Donphan's team with its own hazards, helping to wear down opposing threats, while Ice Shard can come in handy sometimes for picking off weakened foes, though it is very weak.

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack investment is used to dish out a lot of damage, and enough Speed investment is used to outspeed standard Jellicent. An Adamant nature is used to bolster Donphan's offensive presence. Leftovers is the item of choice, used for gradual, steady recovery. With an Assault Vest, Donphan forgoes the ability to use Stealth Rock in order to increase its pitiful special bulk, enabling it to survive strong special attacks and brush off weak ones. Sturdy is the only ability to consider, as it can guarantee Donphan gets off a move as long as it's at full health.

Usage Tips
========

There are a few things to watch out for when using Donphan, including Water-, Ice-, and Grass-type coverage moves. Keep Donphan around as long as you can, and do not let it fall if the opponent still has a entry hazard setter. Earthquake and Knock Off have decent coverage and should be used where necessary, but leave attacking duty primarily to teammates and focus on keeping Donphan healthy. With proper use of prediction and calculation, Donphan can deal with Ghost-types with one of Earthquake, Knock Off, or Ice Shard.

Team Options
========

Cleric support from Pokemon such as Granbull and Umbreon really improves Donphan's longevity. Blissey, Alomomola, and Florges can all help keep Donphan healthy with their Wish support. Additionally, Alomomola and Donphan have good type synergy, as Alomomola can take Water- and Ice-type moves well, while Donphan can block Electric-type moves. Fire-type Pokemon such as Darmanitan, Infernape, Rotom-H, and Chandelure make for good teammates, as they appreciate entry hazards removal and can take on Grass-types for Donphan with ease. Additionally, mixed Infernape, Rotom-H, and to an extent, Chandelure, can handle Water-types for Donphan. Generally, any Stealth Rock-weak Pokemon can benefit from Donphan's presence.

Other Options
########

Donphan can utilize a myriad of alternate options effectively. Choice Band can be used for more power, but generally Donphan wants to run Stealth Rock. Head Smash is a high Base Power move for hitting threatening foes such as Crobat; Stone Edge can also be used for this purpose, but the high power of Head Smash is usually worth the recoil. An Endeavor set with Sturdy and Ice Shard can be used, but it is pretty gimmicky. Seed Bomb is a really nice move for Donphan, as it allows it to beat threatening Water-types such as Swampert and Quagsire. Roar can be used to phaze out physical setup sweepers, while Toxic can be used to wear them down. Finally, Play Rough can be used on a more offensively based Donphan, getting coverage against Fighting-, Dark-, and Dragon-type Pokemon.

Checks & Counters
########

**Water-types**: Water-type Pokemon such as Suicune, Swampert, Vaporeon, and Kingdra can all take a hit and either OHKO Donphan with their STAB attacks or gradually wear it down.

**Grass-types**: Grass-types such as Roserade, Shaymin, and Celebi can all OHKO Donphan with a super effective STAB move, while Donphan cannot do much back. Roserade needs to be wary of Earthquake, however.

**Physical Walls**: Hippowdon, Quagsire, Swampert, and Mega Aggron can all take multiple hits from Donphan and proceed to either stall it out or finish it off quickly.

**Status**: Burn and poison really hamper Donphan, as they halve its Attack and whittle it down, respectively.

**Ghost-types**: Sableye, Cofagrigus, Jellicent, and Froslass block Donphan's main move, Rapid Spin, and can either wear it down with burns or KO it with a super effective attack.
 
Last edited:
I know I stamped this the first time, but on closer inspection there are a couple of questionable things.

The 84 Spe for Gourgeist - H (whatever that is) is probably irrelevant, because Gourgeist (of any size) is essentially nonexistent in the tier. I'm not sure about the EV spread in general, I've seen success with SpD builds, and with Attack builds. I'm going to need some more input on that.

Once you figure out that, i'll qc 1/3
 
I might be mistaken, but the 84 Spe is for Jelli actually, and I think that's an important speed tier because it helps you in actually beating the spinblockers, however uncommon they might be. Since Ice Shard allows you to bypass Sableye's Recover (unless it mega creeps), you can beat all viable spinblockers with some prior damage.
 
i definitely think sr is relevant enough to be slashed in, instead of being just mentioned in the set details. rename the main set to "Rapid Spin", and slash leftovers in (the item should be Leftovers / Assault Vest), and slash stealth rock as an option over ice shard (the 4th move should be Stealth Rock / Ice Shard), and, then, mentioning that sr cant be used with av, and those stuff.

i still want opinions from other qc members, though. i haven't really used donphan much
 
How are Ghost-types even counters? They definitely do not need to be first imo. Here are the calcs:
  • 252+ Atk Donphan Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Froslass: 228-268 (66.2 - 77.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
  • 252+ Atk Donphan Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Cofagrigus: 158-188 (49.5 - 58.9%) -- 74.2% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
  • 252+ Atk Donphan Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Sableye: 214-253 (70.3 - 83.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
  • 252+ Atk Donphan Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Sableye: 147-174 (48.3 - 57.2%) -- 41% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
Sure, Sableye can burn it that's cool, but I'd rather the section be like 'status' with Will-O-Wisp from Sableye instead of this. Also, Cofagrigus hates losing Leftovers so it wouldn't enjoy it either, while Froslass is just not bulky and Ice Beam doesn't OHKO.
 
Yea no fast Phan definitely can get past most Ghost-types. Knock Off once against Sable, and next time they come in they get 2HKOed by EQ + Ice Shard. You obviously need that prior damage, similarly with Jelli which you outspeed, but you're basically forcing them to Recover that first time or they're unable to switch in again. However, they still prevent it from Spinning as long as they're around, therefore making Phan struggle to keep switching in without Lefties—especially against Spikes-stacking teams. For that reason, they should be listed since they stop it from doing its main job.
 
I'm definitely in agreement with Radianthero's suggestion on slashing Leftovers / Assault Vest and Stealth Rock / Ice Shard on the set itself rather than just a mention in Set Details. Donphan serves a much stronger utility role for the team when SR + Spin are condensed into one, and not all teams are going to require the extra SpD brought on by Assault Vest, I don't think at least. Even though it faces competition from Forry as a user of SR + Spin, it has a strong offensive presence, ability to take on spinblockers more effectively, and the ability to block Volt Switch, which are all positives over Forry that should probably be emphasized in the overview.

In Usage Tips I think you should get some summarized form of Ernesto's comment in there, because Donphan p much handles spinblockers when used this way:

Yea no fast Phan definitely can get past most Ghost-types. Knock Off once against Sable, and next time they come in they get 2HKOed by EQ + Ice Shard. You obviously need that prior damage, similarly with Jelli which you outspeed, but you're basically forcing them to Recover that first time or they're unable to switch in again. However, they still prevent it from Spinning as long as they're around, therefore making Phan struggle to keep switching in without Lefties—especially against Spikes-stacking teams. For that reason, they should be listed since they stop it from doing its main job.
Click to expand...

I also think that "Don't spam earthquake mindlessly as it can be easily taken advantage of" and "Knock Off whenever you get the chance" can be phrased into something along the lines of "Earthquake and Knock Off have decent coverage and should be used where necessary, but leave primary attacking duty to teammates and focus on keeping Donphan healthy" or something of that sort.

Might also want to expand on the mons listed in team options...Blissey, Florges, Alomomola, and Umbreon all work at keeping it healthy with Wish support, and Alomomola appreciates Donphan's immunity to Electric moves, while Donphan appreciates Alomomola's resistance to Water + Ice (though be wary of Grass). Mega Ampharos, Hydreigon, Shaymin, and Roserade all can take Water + Grass-type moves for it, and all 4 of them check bulky Water-types, taking some of the pressure off Donphan, while Darmanitan, Infernape, Rotom-H, and Chandelure can still handle Ice-type moves for it and beat Grass-types that threaten it. Rotom-H, Mixed Infernape, and to some extent Chandelure are also capable of beating bulky waters in some way or another, just make sure they're backed by Pokemon who can take Water-type moves
 
Most of the analysis is fine, you just need to revise C&C. Roserade cannot live a max attack EQ, Kingdra doesn't enjoy taking hits from Donphan and the notion of 'easily KO' should not be used when referring to stuff like Suicune, who is incredibly weak. Yeah, basically just fix those problems with C&C and then this is;

QC 3/3
 
just an amateur check dude

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Overview
########

With its solid bulk and good Attack stat to work with, Donphan can work as a great Rapid Spin user on any team. With a nice ability in Sturdy, access to Knock Off, and priority in the form of Ice Shard, Donphan makes an exceptional offensively based spinner. It has several flaws that hinder its success, however. With no form of reliable recovery, Donphan struggles to spin away hazards more than once during a battle. Along with this, it also faces competition from the likes of Mega Blastoise and Forretress (what do they have over donphan?). Lastly, it cannot take special hits very well, due to its poor Special Defense stat.

Hazard Removal
########
name: Hazard Removal
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Stealth Rock / Ice Shard
ability: Sturdy
item: Leftovers / Assault Vest
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Rapid Spin is the main reason to use Donphan, and provides a way to remove hazards for the team. Earthquake is a reliable, high power STAB move, granting it the ability to beat Fire-, Steel-, and Electric-type Pokemon with ease. Knock Off is used to nail ghost types trying to spinblock. Stealth Rock is used to support teammates with it's own hazards, (RC) by helping wear down opposing threats, while Ice Shard can come in handy sometimes for picking off weakened foes, but it is also very weak otherwise. (AP)

Set Details
========

Max Attack is used to dish out a lot of damage, and enough Speed investment to outrun Jellicent. An Adamant nature is used to bolster Donphan's offensive presence further. Leftovers is the item if of choice, and is used for gradual, steady recovery. With an Assault Vest, Donphan forgoes the ability to use Stealth Rock in order to increase its pitiful special bulk, enabling it to survive strong special attacks and brush off weak ones. Sturdy is the only ability to consider given it can guarantee Donphan gets off a move, so as long as it's at full health.

Usage Tips
========

There are a few things to watch out for when using Donphan, including Water-, Ice-, and Grass-type coverage moves. Keep Donphan around as long as you can, and do not let it fall if the opponent still has their hazard setter. Earthquake and Knock Off have decent coverage and should be used wheren necessary, but leave primary attacking duty to teammates and focus on keeping Donphan healthy. With proper use of prediction and calculation, Donphan can deal with its spinblocking a Ghost-type enemies via either a strong STAB Earthquake, Knock Off, and picking them off with Ice Shard.

Team Options
========

Cleric support from Pokemon such as Granbull and Umbreon really improve increase (incorrect use of 'improve')Donohan's longevity. Blissey, Alomomola, and Florges all help keep Donphan healthy with their Wish support. Additionally, Alomomola and Donphan have good type synergy, as Alomomola can take Water- and Ice-type moves well, while Donohan Donphan can block Electric-type moves. Fire-type Pokemon such as Darmanitan, Infernape, Rotom-H, and Chandelure make good teammates, as they appreciatiate appreciate hazard removal, and can take on Grass-types for Donphan with ease. Additionally, mixed Infernape, Rotom-H, and to an extent, Chandelure, can handle Water-types for Donphan (you should probably say way, because fire-types generally don't fare well against water-types). Generally, any Stealth Rock weak Pokemon can benefit from Donphan's presence utility.

Other Options
########

Donphan can utilize a myriad of alternate options effectively. Choice Band can be used for hard hitting power, but generally Donphan wants to run Stealth Rocks. Head Smash is a high Base Power move for that hittings threatening foes such as Crobat. Stone Edge can also be used as an alternate option to Head Smash, but the higher power is usually worth the recoil. An Endeavor set with Sturdy and Ice Shard can be used, but is pretty gimmicky. Seed Bomb is a really nice move for Donphan, as it allows it to beat threatening Water-types such as Swampert and Quagsire. Roar can be used to phase out physical setup sweepers, while Toxic can be used to wear them down. Finally, Play Rough can be used on a more offensively based Donphan, getting coverage against Fighting-, Dark-, and Dragon-type Pokemon.

Checks & Counters
########

**Water-types**: Water-type Pokemon such as Suicune, Swampert, Vaporeon, and Kingdra can all take a hit, and either OHKO with their STAB attacks, or gradually wear it down.

**Grass-types**: Grass-types such as Roserade, Shaymin, and Celebi can all OHKO Donphan with a super effective STAB move, while Donphan cannot do much back. Roserade needs ro to be wary of Earthquake, however.

**Bulky Physical Walls:** Hippowdon, Quagsire, Swampert, and Mega Aggron can all take multiple hits from Donphan, and either stall it out or finish it off quickly.

**Status**: Burns and poison ailments aliments really hamper Donphan, as they halve its Attack and whittle it down, respectively.

**Ghost-types**: Sableye, Cofagrigus, Jellicent, and even Froslass block Donphan's main move, Rapid Spin, and can either wear it down with burns or KO with a super effective attack.[/quote]
 
hi
Overview
########

With its solid bulk and good aAttack to work withstat, Donphan can work as a great Rapid Spin user on any team. With a niceuseful ability in Sturdy, access to Knock Off, and priority in the form of Ice Shard, Donphan makeis an exceptional offensively based spinner. It has several flaws that hinder its success, however. With no form of reliable recovery, Donphan struggles to spin away hazards more than once a battle. Along with this, it also faces competition from the likes of Mega Blastoise and Forretress. Lastly, it cannot take special hits very well, due to its poor Special Defense stat.

Hazard Removal
########
name: Hazard Removal
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Stealth Rock / Ice Shard
ability: Sturdy
item: Leftovers / Assault Vest
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Rapid sSpin is the main reason to use Donphan, and provides a way to remove hazards for the team. Earthquake is a reliable, high powerful STAB move, granting it the ability to beat Fire-, Steel-, and Electric-type Pokemon with ease. Knock Off is used to nail gGhost -types trying to spinblock. Stealth Rock is to support Donphan's team with it's own hazards, helping wear down opposing threats, while Ice Shard can come in handy sometimes for picking off weakened foes, but it is also very weak.

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack is used to dish out a lot of damage, and enough Speed investment is used to outrunspeed Jellicent. An Adamant nature is used to bolster Donphan's offensive presence further. Leftovers is the item iof choice, and is used for gradual, steady recovery. With an Assault Vest, Donphan forgoes the ability to use Stealth Rock in order to increase its pitiful special bulk, enabling it to survive strong special attacks and brush off weak ones. Sturdy is the only ability to consider given it can guarantee Donphan gets off a move, aso long as it's at full health.


Usage Tips
========

There are a few things to watch out for when using Donphan, including Water-, Ice-, and Grass-type coverage moves. Keep Donphan around as long as you can, and do not let it fall if the opponent still has theira hazard setter. Earthquake and Knock Off have decent coverage and should be used where necessary, but leave primary attacking duty to teammates and focus on keeping Donphan healthy. With proper use of prediction and calculation, Donphan can deal with its spi blocking a Ghost-types enemies via either wither a strong STAB Earthquake, Knock Off, and picking them off withor Ice Shard.

Team Options
========

Cleric support from Pokemon such as Granbull and Umbreon really improve Donophan's longevity. Blissey, Alomomola, and Florges all help keep Donphan healthy with their Wish support. Additionally, Alomomola and Donphan have good type synergy, as Alomomola can take Water- and Ice-type moves well, while Donophan can block Electric-type moves. Fire-type Pokemon such as Darmanitan, Infernape, Rotom-H, and Chandelure make for good teammates, as they appreciatiate hazard removal, and can take on Grass-types for Donphan with ease. Additionally, mixed Infernape, Rotom-H, and to an extent, Chandelure, can handle Water-types for Donphan. Generally, any Stealth Rock weak Pokemon can benefit from Donphan's presence.

Other Options
########

Donphan can utilize a myriad of alternate options effectively. Choice Band can be used for hard hittingmore power, but generally Donphan wants to run Stealth Rocks. Head Smash is a high Base Power move for hitting threatening foes such as Crobat.; Stone Edge can also be used for this purpose, but the high power of Head Smash is usually worth the recoil. An Endeavor set with Sturdy and Ice Shard can be used, but is pretty gimmicky. Seed Bomb is a really nice move for Donphan, as it allows it to beat threatening Water-types such as Swampert and Quagsire. Roar can be used to phasze out physical setup sweepers, while Toxic can be used to wear them down. Finally, Play Rough can be used on a more offensively based Donphan, getting coverage against Fighting-, Dark-, and Dragon-type Pokemon.

Checks & Counters
########

**Water-types**: Water-type Pokemon such as Suicune, Swampert, Vaporeon, and Kingdra can all take a hit, and either OHKO Donphan with their STAB attacks, or gradually wear it down.

**Grass-types**: Grass-types such as Roserade, Shaymin, and Celebi can all OHKO Donphan with a super effective STAB move, while Donphan cannot do much back. Roserade needs rto be wary of Earthquake, however.

**Bulky Physical Walls:** Hippowdon, Quagsire, Swampert, and Mega Aggron can all take multiple hits from Donphan, and either stall it out or finish it off quickly.

**Status**: BStatus effects such as burns and poison ailments really hamper Donphan, as they halve its Attack and whittle it down, respectively.

**Ghost-types**: Sableye, Cofagrigus, Jellicent, and even Froslass block Donphan's main move, Rapid Spin, and can either wear it down with burns or KO with a super effective attack.
gp 1/2
 
Last edited:
2/2 :)

add remove comments

Overview
########

With its solid bulk and good Attack stat, Donphan can work as a great Rapid Spin user on any team. With a useful ability in Sturdy, access to Knock Off, and priority in the form of Ice Shard, Donphan is an exceptional offensively based spinner. It has several flaws that hinder its success, however. With no form of reliable recovery, Donphan struggles to spin away hazards more than once a battle. Along with this, it also faces competition from the likes of Mega Blastoise and Forretress. Lastly, it cannot take special hits very well, due to its poor Special Defense stat.

Rapid Spin Hazard Removal (should be "entry hazards removal", but that's long)
########
name: Rapid Spin Hazard Removal
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Stealth Rock / Ice Shard
ability: Sturdy
item: Leftovers / Assault Vest
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Rapid Spin is the main reason to use Donphan, and provides providing a way to remove entry hazards for the team. Earthquake is a reliable, powerful STAB move, granting it Donphan the ability to beat Fire-, Steel-, and Electric-type Pokemon with ease. Knock Off is used to nail Ghost-types trying to spinblock. Stealth Rock is to support Donphan's team with its own hazards, helping to wear down opposing threats, while Ice Shard can come in handy sometimes for picking off weakened foes, but it is also though it is very weak.

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack investment is used to dish out a lot of damage, and enough Speed investment is used to outspeed (uninvested / standard) Jellicent. An Adamant nature is used to bolster Donphan's offensive presence. Leftovers is the item of choice, and is used for gradual, steady recovery. With an Assault Vest, Donphan forgoes the ability to use Stealth Rock in order to increase its pitiful special bulk, enabling it to survive strong special attacks and brush off weak ones. Sturdy is the only ability to consider, (comma) given as it can guarantee Donphan gets off a move as long as it's at full health.


Usage Tips
========

There are a few things to watch out for when using Donphan, including Water-, Ice-, and Grass-type coverage moves. Keep Donphan around as long as you can, and do not let it fall if the opponent still has a entry hazard setter. Earthquake and Knock Off have decent coverage and should be used where necessary, but leave primary attacking duty primarily to teammates and focus on keeping Donphan healthy. With proper use of prediction and calculation, Donphan can deal with Ghost-types either with one of a strong STAB Earthquake, Knock Off, or Ice Shard.

Team Options
========

Cleric support from Pokemon such as Granbull and Umbreon really improves Donphan's longevity. Blissey, Alomomola, and Florges can all help keep Donphan healthy with their Wish support. Additionally, Alomomola and Donphan have good type synergy, as Alomomola can take Water- and Ice-type moves well, while Donphan can block Electric-type moves. Fire-type Pokemon such as Darmanitan, Infernape, Rotom-H, and Chandelure make for good teammates, as they appreciate entry hazards removal, (remove comma) and can take on Grass-types for Donphan with ease. Additionally, mixed Infernape, Rotom-H, and to an extent, Chandelure, can handle Water-types for Donphan. Generally, any Stealth Rock-weak (dash) Pokemon can benefit from Donphan's presence.

Other Options
########

Donphan can utilize a myriad of alternate options effectively. Choice Band can be used for more power, but generally Donphan wants to run Stealth Rock. Head Smash is a high Base Power move for hitting threatening foes such as Crobat; Stone Edge can also be used for this purpose, but the high power of Head Smash is usually worth the recoil. An Endeavor set with Sturdy and Ice Shard can be used, but it is pretty gimmicky. Seed Bomb is a really nice move for Donphan, as it allows it Donphan to beat threatening Water-types such as Swampert and Quagsire. Roar can be used to phaze out physical setup sweepers, while Toxic can be used to wear them down. Finally, Play Rough can be used on a more offensively based Donphan, getting coverage against Fighting-, Dark-, and Dragon-type Pokemon.

Checks & Counters
########

**Water-types**: Water-type Pokemon such as Suicune, Swampert, Vaporeon, and Kingdra can all take a hit, (remove comma) and either OHKO Donphan with their STAB attacks, (remove comma) or gradually wear it down.

**Grass-types**: Grass-types such as Roserade, Shaymin, and Celebi can all OHKO Donphan with a super effective STAB move, while Donphan cannot do much back. Roserade needs to be wary of Earthquake, however.

**Bulky Physical Walls (remove colon)**: (colon) Hippowdon, Quagsire, Swampert, and Mega Aggron can all take multiple hits from Donphan, (remove comma) and proceed to either stall it out or finish it off quickly.

**Status**: Status effects such as Burn and poison really hamper Donphan, as they halve its Attack and whittle it down, respectively.

**Ghost-types**: Sableye, Cofagrigus, Jellicent, and even Froslass block Donphan's main move, Rapid Spin, and can either wear it down with burns or KO it with a super effective attack.
 
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